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Asian adventure broadens business horizons of University of Northampton students

Jet-setting undergraduates from the University of Northampton are getting a first-hand look at how different cultures conduct business in Asia.

Twenty six second-year students on the International Business degree programme are in the middle of a three-week study trip to China and Vietnam, which aims to demonstrate how attitudes and behaviours can vary around the globe – and affect the way people do business.

Senior Lecturer in Strategy and International Business, Adrian Pryce, said: “Not only does the trip let the students immerse themselves in different cultures, it also allows them to experience the dynamics of group working and team building; increases their self-awareness and helps their personal development by taking them out of their comfort zone.

“The trip also equips them with the understanding of what it takes to be effective anywhere in the world, as they pick up an awareness of cross-cultural sensitivity and intelligence.”

The trip has taken the students to Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Beijing, and they will head to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Thursday.

In addition to taking part in cultural activities and lectures at the University’s partner institutions, and visiting Chinese companies, the students have also had time to explore the Great Wall of China, Beijing’s Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

They also linked up with the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford, at the Beijing Vocational College of Finance and Commerce, where the University of Northampton has just launched an Overseas Learning Centre.

Students on the International Business course study European business in the first year, which is complemented with a study trip to France and Spain. Second years focus on business in Asia.

The cost of flights, accommodation and breakfast for both the European and Asian trips are covered by tuition fees. Students just need to bring their own spending money.